Chicken Club Wraps

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There’s been lots of exciting things going on here at the homestead:  painting and organizing and converting spare bedrooms into “big girl rooms” and just plain nesting, I suppose.  So while I have been busy being neurotic, dinners have had to be bit less labor intensive..not that they required tons of work to begin with, but just extra simple these days.  This club wrap is one of our favorite fast and easy weeknight dinners.  To really quicken it up you could always use store-bought rotisserie chicken, but I prefer to roast my own.  It’s as easy and timely as running to the store to buy one and the taste is so much better.  I also love to use this method to roast chicken on Sundays, shred and use it for quick meals like this throughout the week.  If you ask me, a meal like this beats going out for a sandwich any day of the  week…both tastefully and nutritionally.  Pair it will a side salad or steamed veggie and you’re good to go!

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Chicken Club Wraps

Ingredients

For the chicken:

2 Chicken Breasts, bone in and skin on

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

For the wraps:

4 Whole Grain Tortillas

1/4 Cup Ranch Dressing

1/3 Cup Shredded Smoked Gouda Cheese

4 Slices Nitrate and Nitrite Free Bacon, optional

1 Avocado, mashed

1 Tomato, chopped

Directions

For the chicken:

Preheat oven to 400.  Place chicken breasts in a baking dish, rub with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until skin is golden and chicken is completely cooked through.  Remove from oven and shred with two forks.

For the wraps:

Lay tortillas out and divide and spread ranch dressing evenly among them.  Top with shredded chicken, followed by cheese and bacon.  Spread on avocado and sprinkle with tomatoes.  Roll up and serve immediately or chill.  Serves 4

Slow-Baked Salmon with Dijon

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The health benefits of salmon make up a hearty list.  Just to name a few, salmon aids in reducing inflammation, brain health, cancer prevention, heart health and the overall health and appearance of our skin and hair.  My favorite method for cooking salmon was adapted from this recipe and it allows for so many variations with regard to flavors and tastes.  In this recipe I am sharing with you, I have paired it with dijon mustard which is the perfect compliment to the rich fish.  The cooking method makes for the most tender, succulent fish I have ever prepared…and it is about as simple and effortless as it gets.  This recipe is a perfect weeknight meal because it is so quick and simple to prepare but is special enough for company because of its elegance.

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Slow-Baked Salmon with Dijon

Ingredients

1 1/4 Pounds Boneless Salmon Filets, skin on

1 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon Fresh Chopped Parsley

Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Directions

Heat the oven to 275 and line a baking sheet with foil.  Brush the foil with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.  In a separate boil whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, dijon mustard and parsley.  Lay salmon filet(s) skin side down on the prepared baking sheet, spread the olive oil/dijon mixture over the top and season liberally with salt and ground black pepper.  Place in the preheated oven and bake for 18 minutes or until the fish is just opaque in the center.  Turn the oven to broil and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until top just begins to turn golden.  Serves 3-4

Baked Ziti with Sausage and Spinach

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Well, today marks four years from the day my husband and I were married.  Four years.  It may not seem like much to you but I suppose it is all relative.  It seems like just yesterday to me and I am afraid I don’t know where the time is going.  Well, actually I do, for me anyway.  It’s going toward loving and laughing and playing and cuddling and pretending and dreaming and just being plain happy among my husband and daughter; I just wish I could slow it down.  Don’t get me wrong, there are days we are at each others throats about the most ridiculous of things but at the end of each day, when I think about my life with my husband, there are just no words.  I literally have no clue who told God I deserve a guy like this…but I hope I can continue to fool him for the rest of my life.  

So, in honor of Nick I’m posting about his favorite meal…baked ziti.  As you all know, the guy adores Italian food in any way, shape or form.  And in these 4 + years we’ve had together I frequently get requests for “pasta Sunday”.  This dish is my go-to when I really want to treat him; he just adores it and I don’t disagree one bit (nor does my daughter).  It is a recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated March/April 2009 and I have tried to simplify the process while adding a few of our own preferences like ground turkey sausage and spinach.  If you like a saucy, gooey, rich and cheesy yet tomatoey pasta dish this is absolutely for you.  

So, my love….thank you for so very many things.  For loving me constantly and so well, even when I’m crazy and hormonal.  For being so patient and kind, even when you probably shouldn’t be.  For being every ounce of the wonderful daddy that I knew you would be.  And, as cheesy as it may sound, for making my dreams a reality in so many ways.  And to top it all off…thank you for having such a fun belly to feed 🙂 xo

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Baked Ziti with Sausage and Spinach

Note:  if you’re looking for a great store-bought marinara, check out my favorite one here 

Ingredients

12 Ounces Brown Rice or Quinoa Ziti or Penne

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Pound Ground Turkey Italian Sausage

4 Cups Packed Baby Spinach

1 Cup Heavy Cream

2 Cups Cottage Cheese (preferably 2% or full fat)

8 Ounces Fresh Mozzarella, cut into small cubes

1 1/2 Cups Freshly Grated Parmesan

2 Eggs, lightly beaten

4 1/2 Cups Marinara Sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.  Cook pasta in a pot of salted water until it just begins to soften to the touch but is not cooked through, about 7 minutes; drain (reserve the pot you cooked the pasta in, do not rinse out).  While pasta is cooking heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking up with the back of a spoon.  Stir in spinach and cook for 1 minute.  Add  2 cups marinara, bring to a simmer and then remove from heat.  

Pour the cream in the pasta pot and bring to a light boil and simmer for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in cottage cheese, eggs, 1  cup parmesan and half of the mozzarella.  Add the sausage/spinach/marinara mixture to the cream mixture and stir it well to combine.  Stir in the cooked pasta.  Pour Pasta mixture into a 9×13 glass baking dish, spread the remaining 2 1/2 cups marinara evenly over the top and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and 1/2 cup parmesan over the the sauce.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes longer.  

Ranch Seasoning Mix

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We are the ranch generation. We dip with it and dress with it…not literally, like dress salads and such.  Geez, get your mind out of the gutter!  I am as guilty as the next gal for seriously loving the taste of those store bought packets of ranch seasoning that you add to ingredients to make dips, dressings, sauces, lots of goods.  Once in a while  I just want a salad with creamy buttermilk ranch dressing or some ranch to put on my wrap or sandwich.  After trying a zillion shots at duplicating the store bought kind I’ve finally got one that is truly a winner.  It tastes amazing, is a fraction of the cost and you have complete control over what goes into it; none of those scary words that you cant pronounce on this ingredient list.  Another perk?  Offer ranch dressing as a dip for those certain foods your husbands kids refuse to eat and they will no longer refuse…tricky tricky, eh?  I make a big batch in about 2 minutes and keep it on hand stored in an air tight container…it’s shelf life would last you months but theres no way your bellies will allow it to stay there that long.  Two minutes well spent, my friends.

Ranch Seasoning Mix

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons Dried Parsley

1 1/2 Tablespoons Onion Powder

1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

1 Tablespoon Dried Dillweed

2 Teaspoons Salt

2 Teaspoons Pepper

1 Teaspoon Dried Chives

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper, optional

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight container for up to 6 months.  Makes about 1/2 cup seasoning.

Notes:  although you can use this seasoning mix for a million different things, buttermilk ranch dressing is a common use in this house

Just whisk together

2 tablespoons of the seasoning

1 Cup either mayo/sour cream/greek yogurt (or any combination of the three)

1/3-1/2 cup buttermilk, depending on how thin you like it

1 Tablespoon White Vinegar, optional

Sausage, Bean and Vegetable Soup

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Well…it’s beginning to feel a lot like my favorite time of year.  Football has begun, the air has cooled down (at least for now) and soups and stews are preparing to overtake my kitchen, ahhhh the excitement is out of control over here!  This is a favorite of ours that is just perfect for this time of year because we can still utilize the fresh kale, carrots and potatoes from our local farmer.  The flavors of the soup are rich and warm without making the consistency too dense or heavy.  Real ingredients prepared quickly with crazy amounts of savory flavor…my kind of one pot meal.

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Sausage, Bean and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Pound Ground Italian Sausage

1 Large Onion, diced

3 Large Carrots, diced

6 Cloves Garlic, chopped

2 Bay Leaves

3/4 Pound Red Potatoes, diced into 1 inch cubes

1 15 Ounce Can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed

4 Cups Chicken Stock

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Pepper

3/4 Cup Half and Half

3 Cups Chopped Kale

1 Cup Fresh Shredded Parmesan

Directions

In a large pot or dutch oven heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat.  Add sausage and cook until browned, breaking it up with the back of your spoon.  Remove sausage from the pain and drain grease.  Add the other tablespoon of oil to the pan along with onions and carrots.  Sauté for 5 minutes or until vegetables just begin to soften.  Add garlic and bay leaves and sauté for 1 additional minute.  Add potatoes, beans, stock, salt and pepper, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until potatoes are just cooked thru.  Stir in the cooked sausage, half and half, kale and parmesan and let simmer for an additional 5 minutes.  Serves 4-6

Our Favorite Tacos

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This is our favorite way to eat ground beef or turkey tacos.  It’s such a simple recipe but with a few “new touches” it really takes your standard taco from ordinary to extraordinary.

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Our Favorite Tacos

adapted from this recipe

Ingredients

1 3/4 Pounds Ground Beef or Turkey

3 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning

3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

1 15 Ounce Can Pinto Beans, drained

2/3 Cup Hot Water

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 Cup Salsa

Chopped Leafy Green Lettuce

Diced Tomatoes

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

3 Tablespoons Peanut or Sunflower Oil

12 Soft Corn Tortillas

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 and brush both sides of the tortillas lightly with peanut oil.  Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 8 minutes or until golden brown and crispy, flipping halfway through cooking.  While tortillas are cooking stir together sour cream and salsa.  Set tortillas and salsa mixture aside.

Brown ground beef or turkey in a large skillet and drain fat.  Add taco seasoning, tomato paste, beans and water and simmer over medium heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

To build tacos, top tortillas with lettuce, ground beef/turkey mixture, cheese, tomatoes and salsa mixture.

Taco Seasoning

~ nourishedpeach ~ 7 Comments

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Those little packets you buy at the grocery store are quick and convenient and they don’t taste half bad, if I do say so myself.  But have you ever considered the benefits of keeping your own homemade seasoning mix on hand?  I’m being completely honest when I tell you it takes about 1 minute and 42 seconds to make and the taste is REAL and delicious.  Have you ever looked at the ingredient lists of the store bought packets?  Here is one example for you to view.  I encourage you to compare that ingredient list with the one below…and then get your cute butt in the kitchen and test out the below one; you’ll never go back to the old, store-bought alternative.  Healthy lifestyles don’t come in a quick-fix fancy detox, pill, drink or powder; they come by making tiny, simple, achievable changes like this, one at a time, for the benefit of ourselves and our children.

Taco Seasoning

2 Tablespoons Chili Powder

3 Teaspoons Cumin

2 Teaspoons Salt

2 Teaspoons Black Pepper

1 Teaspoon Paprika (smoked paprika is wonderful in this)

3/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

3/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

1/4 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight container for up to 6 months.  Makes about 1/3 cup seasoning.

Note: Basic Tacos: For 1 pound of ground beef or turkey I mix in 3 tablespoons taco seasoning and 1/3 cup water.

Pesto Roasted Chicken with Tomato and Mozzarella

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This was a last minute “what the heck am I going to do with this chicken” idea and will become a regular in this kitchen for sure.  It was ready in under 30 minutes from start to finish and is a light, seriously tasty way to switch up your typical baked chicken.  The roasted chicken flavor adds unbelievable depth to the fresh, fragrant pesto, sweet tomatoes and gooey cheese.  Winner winner chicken dinner.

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Pesto Roasted Chicken with Tomato and Mozzarella

Note:  Store bought pesto would work just fine in this dish…but I’m betting it just won’t beat the flavor of this homemade version.

Ingredients

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Coarsely Ground Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 Cup Basil Pesto

4 Slices Tomato

4 Slices Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 and season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.  In an oven proof skillet heat olive oil on medium high heat.  Add the chicken and cook, top side down, until you get a nice sear on top, about 4 minutes.  Flip chicken over, spoon 1/4 cup pesto over each breast, top with two tomatoes and then two slices of mozzarella each.  Transfer to the oven and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Serves two.

Chewy Sugar Cookies

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Nourishing takes on different meanings on different days of the year and at different times.  Most days, to me, it means filling my family’s bellies with love and health through food.  Today, it means just that…minus the health aspect and plus some soul smiling.

Today is my dear Auntie’s birthday.  She is one of the most beautiful, hysterical, kind, thoughtful and wonderfully stubborn women I know…and I love her dearly; just so much.  She is my moms only sister and has raised four wonderful sons of her own, all with their own beautiful families.  We don’t get to see them as often as we would like but we can always count on a “famee reunion” with these guys every other year, which is always so wonderful.  It is so fun to catch up, see the kids growing, spend some quality time together and EAT EAT EAT.  I tell you, my apple does not fall far from the tree of that side of the family; we all just love food.

So, a couple years ago I brought these sugar cookies to our reunion to share.  And this year we met again and boy I did not hear the end of it from Auntie.  “Miss…the cookies!  I cant believe you didn’t bring the cookies!  They were one of the things I was looking forward to the most!”  And as of a couple days ago, I am still hearing about them from her, “You have to put them on the blog, Miss, I don’t care if their not healthy, everyone will love them”.  And I don’t care who you are, you listen to Auntie when she tells you to do something.   So, Auntie, here they are, just for you on your special day:)  I hope you know I would much rather deliver these to you in person with a big hug but I guess the miles put a damper on that, so this is the best I can do today.  And by the way, Nick and Georgia both thank you…they would have never gotten this treat otherwise.  I know I’ve already told you…but your taking up extra real estate in my heart today. xo

And for all of you who have not tried this recipe before…I guarantee these will be the best, chewiest sugar cookies you have ever eaten.  Cook’s Illustrated has completely perfected this sweet treat.

Chewy Sugar Cookies

Cook’s Illustrated, November and December 2010

Ingredients

2 1/4 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 1/2 Cups Sugar, plus 1/3 Cup For Rolling

2 Ounces Cream Cheese, cut into 8 pieces

6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted and still warm

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Large Egg

1 Tablespoon Milk

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Directions

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

Place 1 1/2 cups sugar and cream cheese into a large bowl.  Place remaining 1/3 cup sugar in shallow baking dish and set aside.  Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine.  Whisk in oil until incorporated.  Add egg, milk and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth.  Add flour mixture and mix with a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.

Use a ice cream scoop to divide dough into pieces then roll into balls (dough will be very soft, just work with it as best you can and do not overwork).  Roll balls into reserved sugar to coat and evenly space on prepared baking sheet, 12 balls per sheet.  Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press the balls down until they are 2 inches in diameter.  Sprinkle tops evenly with the remaining sugar from the rolling dish.  Bake, 1 tray at a time, until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes.  Cool cookies completely.  Makes 2 dozen.

Unbeatable Key Lime Pie (takeout)

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Our kitchen has been out of commission because we have been having sink issues so I’ve been on vacation away from cooking the last few days.  Although it has been a nice change of pace eating out for the majority of the weekend I miss cooking and eating in my own kitchen!  So as I wait for the plumber to arrive I thought I would share with all of you Twin Cities folk a little gem we recently discovered.  Also known as the Key Lime Pie from this joint.

We had some friends over for dinner not long ago and they offered to bring dessert.  For those of you who know me well you know I would MUCH prefer to be cooking rather than baking…that baking stuff is just too much rule following for me 😉  So when they offered I couldn’t turn them down (not to mention they have amazing taste in food so I knew whatever they brought would be insanely delicious).  So they show up at our doorstep with the most precious baby boy on the planet and this key lime pie that was not only the most beautifully looking thing but the taste…oh my.  gosh.  You absolutely, positively better believe this will be my new go-to when I am asked to bring dessert to someones house or when I am having company of my own.  I truly couldn’t even try to beat this in my own kitchen.  So, if you get the chance…pick one up. Just make sure you have plenty of bellies to share it with or you might devour the entire thing on your own.